If I Were Rich, I Would......

Have you ever thought those thoughts or played that game?
Well, yesterday morning, I was giving myself a manicure and I thought “If I were rich I know exactly what I would do. I’d go for a manicure AND a pedicure every other week! And, maybe add a massage to that, too!

When I do get to experience that nurturing, I embrace relaxing in the massage chair at the nail salon. Rarely do I go for a massage but when I do, it is a time of knowing that those knots and kinks are going to be worked out. Relief is coming and I’m rejuvenated.

As I finished doing my own nails, I couldn't help but think about the Master's touch on my life and express to Him my gratitude for the ability to even do my own nails. I don’t need to play a game of “If I were rich,” because I am rich. I don’t need someone to nurture me because I am nurtured and loved by God. I am the recipient of the “incomparable riches of His grace” that Paul talked about in Ephesians 2:6-7. “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

God’s love worked out the knots and kinks of worry, concern, fear, and insecurity in me. He made me whole, both spiritually and emotionally. His healing touch led me to show compassion for others hurting in the same way.

God’s touch on my life set me free to tell others how His touch soothed the rough edges of my heart and set me free to celebrate how He worked out the knots of unforgiveness and helped me to stand strong. Believe me when I say – what you see in my daily blog posts is the work of a Master Massager and Healer and though He doesn’t really fit into the category of manicurist or pedicurist or masseuse, He wraps me in a warm blanket of love and tenderness and holds my hands in the most loving ways and assures me I am His beloved daughter.

Maybe you could use a little nurturing today. Maybe you’d like to step in for a sweet touch from the Master. His faithful love nurtures us, rejuvenates us and gives us relief from the common, everyday pressures of life and the overwhelming, how-can-I-make-it-another-day times. He is waiting to nurture you. It’s His specialty because you are His precious, beloved child.
When we are WHOLE – soul, spirit, and body – we don’t ever have to play the “If I were rich” game ever again, because we are rich beyond measure.

1 John 3:1 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

I’m All Grown Up, But I’m Still a Kid

I embraced every minute of precious family time during Thanksgiving week. My family is right up there at the top of my “gratitude” list. We are a diverse family with diverse interests and diverse ways of life. None of us were cut from the same mold, but we have this one thing in common – we are family. I came from a middle-class family. We didn't have much, but we had all we needed. We knew love, but by no means did we know royalty and wealth, or the social graces that went along with it.

But, then, one day, I came into a royal family -- the Family of God -- not as a result of merit or anything I earned or was born into, but I was adopted into this wonderful Family of God. It was simply because I asked to come in, and I believed the Father of this royal family has a very special Son Who paid a hefty price for me to be welcomed into the family. I didn't have to pay my way in -- I just had to believe in HIS royal family. And, guess what! You have been invited into the FAMILY, too! The invitation goes out to "Whoever believes in HIM....."

There are no adults in the Family of God. Father God only has children. Adults complicate things. They try to figure out what's next, how, why, where and when. Kids just say "Okay!" They just believe. I believed. Stuff happens. No problem. My Father has everything under control. And, He keeps telling us to "Be like children" who just believe.

While doing a lot of my holiday baking, I watched a sweet and tender Hallmark Christmas movie. I’ll admit it. I’m a “Hallmark” junkie – just knowing that the movie is going to end with a sappy, predictable ending, makes me happy. I saw one where two children whose Mom and Dad had died in an automobile accident. Their very wealthy grandfather (who they had never met) asked them to come to visit him at his royal mansion in England. Once they were there, they had all the privileges that their lineage provided -- sitting at the grandfather's table, eating the best of foods, wearing elaborate clothes provided by the grandfather, being served by the maids and butlers. They didn't even know their grandfather before, but all their lives, royalty was waiting for them. But, to live in the grandfather's home, they had to change some of their rough ways. And they did because they wanted to please the grandfather. And when they pleased him, he just kept pouring on the blessings to them.

Once we come into the royal Family of God, we should have a hard time being disobedient children. If we daily make a purpose to NOT disappoint our Heavenly Father, He'll keep pouring His blessings on us. If we abide in Him, and His Word abides in us, then we'll have a hard time messing up. We just don't want to take a chance on disappointing our Father. Still, I have disappointed Him. But when I did, His grace flowed out to me. His nature IS love and grace. It's going to be Christmas in just a few weeks, and if we gave our kids a gift, we would never want them to turn to us and say, "What do I owe you for this?" No, we would simply say to them, "I so love you and want to bless you."
The man in the movie had to discipline those grandkids from time to time for being naughty. And there's also a judgment side to God, but if we obey Him, we'll never see it. There's a judgment side to us, but if our kids obey us, they'll never see that judgment.

Today, our Heavenly Father has His arms open wide to His naughty or nice kids out there. He's ready to bless them. He's ready to invite them to sit at His royal table and feast and dine with Him. It's ours for the taking. Now let's throw our hands up in the air and shout out, "CHOOSE ME!"

1 John 3:1 "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him."

Here's What I Know and I Am Amazed

I am a “knower” and I know a lot. I know I’m not the sharpest tool in the toolbox. I know I’m not “beauty queen” material. There is no need for me to apply for a job as a neuroscientist, a heart surgeon, or an attorney – I just haven’t applied myself to the education and knowledge required. I know that this body that my spirit lives in, is not as toned, tight, and lean as it once was in my twenties. I know that when I look in the mirror I don’t see that young woman that once looked back at me.

AND, more importantly than anything I lack, here’s what I know. Without a shadow of a doubt, I know about God’s love for me. Don't try to convince me otherwise. I know that God is NOT dead. I've seen way too much evidence otherwise. I've experienced way too many of God's blessings, and I know they didn't come to me by happenstance or coincidence.

I know there are times that it just had to be God that did THAT for me, or gave me that, or showed me that and that's when I looked up to heaven and said, “I know that was YOU, God, wasn’t it?” I know God sees me right where I am right in this minute in this day. I know His love for me is vast and beyond what I can imagine. I've been loved so much that it's the story of my life.

And all this that I know about me and my story, I want it to be the story of your life as well. I want it to change everything, including how you look at God, yourself, and other people. I want you to live in confidence that when God looks at you, He sees beauty. He sees value. He sees hope. He sees kindness, strength, love, compassion. He sees a precious treasure beyond compare.

When God looks at you and me, He doesn’t evaluate us based on our family history, or how cute and spunky we are, or how popular we are. He doesn’t consider our education, our resume OR our bank balance. What might impress others, doesn’t impress God. None of that changes how He values us. In fact, whether we behave well, or not, His love for us is unconditional. He doesn’t love us because we’re wealthy or smart or good. He loves us because we’re HIS! “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called Children of God” 1 John 3:1 God doesn’t compare us to others. We are a unique work of His creation. And we are His definition of BEAUTIFUL. Isn’t it time we see ourselves as God sees us?

When you're hiding or when you feel beaten down, and you can't see anything clearly, He's still hard at work, handcrafting all the details for your beautiful future. He sees you. He loves you. We are SO loved by ALMIGHTY God -- doesn't that AMAZE you? It sure amazes me.

Bourne Identity and Born Identity

Bourne Identity and Born Identity
If you were a fan of the "Bourne Identity" action spy thriller movie, you’ll remember that Jason Bourne (played by Matt Damon), was a man suffering from extreme memory loss and spent his life trying to figure out who he was.

My word for today is IDENTITY: the fact of being who or what a person or thing is; name, identification, recognition

Jason Bourne was the opposite of who Jesus Christ was on this earth. Jesus was secure in His IDENTITY. God made sure of that when John baptized Him in the River Jordan and the windows of heaven opened and God’s booming voice declared “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) How’s that for the OPENING CEREMONY (thinking about the Olympics Opening Ceremony) of Jesus’ public ministry. That is where His IDENTITY became proclaimed throughout the earth. After that, He didn’t need His ego stroked. Nothing could budge Him from His place of IDENTITY. We know He knew His mission and nothing was going to derail Him from God’s plan for His life because He knew who He was in God.

And then there are us. We are born with an IDENTITY crisis – similar to Jason Bourne’s IDENTITY crisis. We are insecure in who we are, how smart we are and what others think about us. We compare ourselves to one another. We aren’t satisfied with this or that about ourselves and we want to be like someone else instead of BEING the human BEING that God made US to be. We have a “Born” IDENTITY crisis.

But here’s the extraordinary, over-the-top news flash for us. We are sons and daughters of Almighty God. Remember Satan trying to tempt Jesus with an IDENTITY crisis when Jesus went to the Mount of Temptation? Satan said, “If YOU ARE the Son of God (there’s the doubt he’s trying to create in Jesus), then throw yourself from this temple…..” Matthew 4:5. Jesus didn’t buy into those tactics. He always responded with “It is written…..” And neither should we buy into the enemy’s tactics. Satan tries to undermind our IDENTITY with “How come you did that? That was stupid. Your IDENTITY is LOSER! You failed again. No one loves you. You are a wimp. You will never succeed.” If we listen to those lies, then he can derail our IDENTITY. Criticism, embarrassment, rejection and wrong attitudes can knock us off our secure position of who we are in Christ. But, like Christ, if we respond with “It is written…..” then we too will overcome his ploys to give us an IDENTITY crisis. FYI – we better learn God’s Word so we CAN respond with “It is written……” I love the end of that encounter of Satan trying to put an IDENTITY crisis on Jesus and Jesus always responding with God’s Word back to Satan because Matthew 4:11 says “Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.” That is God’s loving promise to us as well.

God approves of us. We have power, we have heaven backing us up and we have everything we need to walk as a light in darkness. The time is now to start walking in our true IDENTITY and amplify what God has placed within us. Our BORN IDENTITY is a child of the most High God, a member of the Royal Family and we can sit at the Banquet Table anytime we want to. His banner over us is LOVE……and don’t you forget that for one minute.

1 John 3:1 “See what great love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.”

In the words of Matthew West’s “Hello, My Name Is”, this is who you are:
“Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed, and I have been set free
Amazing grace is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true king."

So, HELLO, my sister or brother, my name, your name and our IDENTITY is child of the one king I’d say “We are royalty!”

Please watch listen to Matthew West and Jordan's Story. I promise you'll be blessed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8OjyWQhaj0

Living Like Royalty

I came from a middle class family. We didn't have much, but we had all we needed. We knew love -- but by no means did we know royalty and wealth, or the social graces that went along with it. But, then, one day, I came into a royal family.....the Family of God -- where now I'm UPPER class -- not as a result of merit or anything I earned, or was born into, but I was adopted into God’s marvelous Family. It was simply because I asked to come in, and because I believed in the Father's Son of this royal family, Who paid a hefty price for me to be welcomed into the family. I didn't have to pay my way in -- I just BELIEVED. And, guess what YOU'VE been invited into the FAMILY, too! The invitation goes out to "Whoever believes in HIM....."

I'm all grown up now, but there are no adults in the family. Father God only has children. Adults complicate things. They try to figure out what's next, how, why, where and when. Kids just say "Okay!" They just believe. I believed. Yesterday I put up my Christmas decorations and this little outdoor sign says "Believe". I know Santa is saying "Believe in me", or, no, maybe he's saying "Believe in God!" Father knows best and Father has everything under control. And, He keeps telling us to "Be like children" who just believe.

I was doing some holiday baking last week and, I had the Hallmark Channel on and I watched one of their sweet, tender, sappy and predictable-ending movies. This one was about some children whose Mom and Dad had died in an automobile accident and the very wealthy grandfather (who they had never met) asked them to come see him at his royal mansion in England. Once they were there, they had all the privileges that their lineage provided -- sitting at the Grandfather's table, eating the best of foods, wearing the royal clothes provided by the grandfather, being served by the maids and butlers. They didn't even know this Grandfather before, but all their lives, royalty was waiting for them. But, to live in the Grandfather's home, they had to change some of their rough ways. And they did, because they wanted to please the Grandfather. And when they pleased him, he just kept pouring on the blessings to them.

Once we come into the royal Family of God, we should have a hard time being disobedient children. If we daily make a purpose to NOT disappoint our Father, He'll keep pouring His blessings on us. If we abide in Him, and His Word abides in us, then we'll have a hard time messing up. We just don't want to take a chance on disappointing our Father.

But even when we slip up and disappoint Him, when we ask for forgiveness, His grace flows out to us. His nature IS love and grace. The man in the movie had to discipline those grandkids from time to time for being naughty. And there's also a judgment side to God, but if we obey Him, we'll never see it.

Today, our Heavenly Father has His arms open wide to His naughty or nice kids out there. He's ready to bless them. He's ready to invite them to sit at His royal table and feast and dine with Him. It's ours for the taking. Now let's throw our hands up in the air and shout out, "CHOOSE ME!"

1 John 3:1 "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us, is that it did not know Him."

God's Unique and Diverse Creation

I live in a unique community where every home is different from the others. The exteriors are unique: brick, stone, or stucco, different paint colors, and lots of variations of floor plans. It's not a "cookie-cutter" community where the homes are the same. Our landscaping, with various flowers, trees, bushes, plants and rock formations are different. It's one of the reasons why we love living here.

Those of us who live here are also very different. Some still work full time, part time, or are retired. There are singles and marrieds. We come from various walks of life: attorneys, doctors, farmers, nurses, teachers, engineers, and everything in between. It's great hearing about our diversities that we all bring to our community family table.

God, in His brilliant creative genius gave this world such beauty in diversity. He started it all at creation. Imagine a garden, filled with flowers, but every flower was the same color, same leaves, same fragrance. Just sameness. Wouldn't that just be monotonous? But God created this world, AND mankind, that included you and me, with such splendid and spectacular diversity.

This time of year, we witness the most beautiful gardens that are blossoming with richness of diversity. Bright yellows, reds, deep purples and blues. In the same way, His kids, you and me, exemplify the beauty of diversity. We are male and female, tall and short, full bodied and slim bodied, dark skin and light skin. God's kids are so beautifully diverse.

The amazing truth, no matter what we look like, is that we are all equally important. We need the quiet janitor who cleans the bathrooms and sweeps the floor as much as we need the leader on the stage who speaks with wisdom. We need the outgoing and confident leader as much as need the quiet introvert.

Most of all, we need each other. We need the encouragers, the givers, the servers, the teachers, those who will take charge and lead and we need those who are so willing to be followers and to be led. Just think how wonderful this world would be if we all just understood God's unique love for His creation -- diverse, yet all so loved. Maybe we should start recognizing each other as equally and uniquely important and loved by Father God. As for you and me? He wants us NOT to be different from Him. He wants us to BE LIKE HIM -- spreading His love to the rest of the family.

"What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it–we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are.” – 1 John 3:1

All Grown Up, But Still a Kid

Day 318 of Photo Inspirations -- All Grown Up, But Still a Kid
I came from a middle class family.  We didn't have much, but we had all we needed.  We knew love -- but by no means did we know royalty and wealth, or the social graces that went along with it.   But, then, one day, I came into a royal family.....the Family of God -- where now I'm UPPER class -- not as a result of merit or anything I earned, or was born into, but I was adopted into this marvelous Family of God.  It was simply because I asked to come in, and because I believed the Father of this royal family has a very special Son, Who paid a hefty price for me to be welcomed into the family.  I didn't have to pay my way in -- I just had to believe in HIS royal family.  And, guess what YOU'VE been invited into the FAMILY, too!  The invitation goes out to "Whoever believes in HIM....."

By the way, I'm all grown up now, but there are no adults in the family. Father God only has children. Adults complicate things.  They try to figure out what's next, how, why, where and when.  Kids just say "Okay!"  They just believe.  I believed.  Stuff happens.  No problem.  My Father has everything under control.  And, He keeps telling us to "Be like children" who just believe.

I was doing some holiday baking on Thursday and, like I do from time-to-time, while I'm cooking, I'll have the Hallmark Channel on and I watch one of their sweet and tender movies.  This one was about some children whose Mom and Dad had died in an automobile accident and the very wealthy grandfather (who they had never met) asked them to come see him at his royal mansion in England. Once they were there, they had all the privileges that their lineage provided -- sitting at the Grandfather's table, eating the best of foods, wearing the royal clothes provided by the grandfather, being served by the maids and butlers.  They didn't even know this Grandfather before, but all their lives, royalty was waiting for them.  But, to live in the Grandfather's home, they had to change some of their rough ways.  And they did, because they wanted to please the Grandfather.  And when they pleased him, he just kept pouring on the blessings to them.

Once we come into the royal Family of God, we should have a hard time being disobedient children. If we daily make a purpose to NOT disappoint our Heavenly Father, He'll keep pouring His blessings on us.  If we abide in Him, and His Word abides in us, then we'll have a hard time messing up.  We just don't want to take a chance on disappointing our Father.

Still, I have disappointed Him.  But when I did, His grace flowed out to me.  His nature IS love and grace. It's going to be Christmas in just a few weeks, and if we gave our kids a gift, we would never want them to turn to us and say, "What do I owe you for this?"   No, we would simply say to them, "I so love you and want to bless you."

The man in the movie had to discipline those grandkids from time to time for being naughty.  And there's also a judgment side to God, but if we obey Him, we'll never see it.  There's a judgment side to us, but if our kids obey us, they'll never see that judgment.

Today, our Heavenly Father has His arms open wide to His naughty or nice kids out there.  He's ready to bless them.  He's ready to invite them to sit at His royal table and feast and dine with Him.  It's ours for the taking.  Now let's throwt our hands up in the air and shout out, "CHOOSE ME!"

1 John 3:1  "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us, is that it did not know Him."